2019 Oct 8-11, Luminights at Dollywood and Fall Harvest at Sevierville, & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ( 4days)

To celebrate our birthdays, we decided to take a trip to the Mountains for a few days.

I had booked a room at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham (check-in time is after 3 PM Eastern time) in Sevierville.

We decided to eat a late lunch and early dinner at Texas Road House on Collier Drive in Sevierville.

I ordered the lunch special 6-ounce lunch sirloin steak medium-well, with Ceaser salad and a baked potato.

Hubby ordered 8 ounces of New York Strip medium with a baked potato and a salad.

We filled up with gas at Murphy Express before checking into our hotel.

Later that afternoon, we rode to Krogers for a couple of diet cokes and a package of chocolate eclairs.

Harvest Festival Pigeon Forge 

We bought a small bag of freshly ground yellow cornmeal at the Old Mill General Store. We also stopped at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. It was beautifully decorated with pumpkins & gourds of every size, shape, and color.

A great place to snap a photo

Welcome to Pigeon Forge.
Stopping for a rest break. 

I ate a waffle with syrup, sausage, and a glass of cranberry juice at the breakfast bar at the hotel.

After breakfast, we rode to the Tanger Outlets we stopped at the Disney Store, where I bought a long-sleeved Mickey Tee-shirt, a Halloween 2019 Minnie Doll, and a Halloween bag.

We also stopped at Victoria's Secret, where I bought two bras and a pair of panties.

Our next stop was at the Island, Hubby wanted a souvenir shirt from Margaretville.

Hubby let me out at Margaretville, and then he parked the car.

It was a beautiful day, people were enjoying the Smoky Mountain Ferries Wheel, The Spinning Parrot Coaster, Time-shot, the Island Express Train, the Flying Horse Carousel, the Thunder Dome, the Reverse Time Ride, Happy Swings, & Funny Cars. There were lots to see and do on the Island. 

Pumpkins and Autumn Flowers Everywhere.
Lot lots of places for selfies on the Island.

Our fun did not stop with the Island. We rode the trolly to our car, and then we rode to Dollywood, where we stayed until closing.

It was fall break, and the parking lot was full of cars. We had to park in lot D and wait in a long line to ride the trolly to the gate, where we purchased a two-day pass ticket.

At 12:45, we watched the tail end of the Smoky Mountain String Band at the Gazebo.

At 1 PM, we watched Candy & Jeremy perform at the Valley Theater.

It was after lunch, so we stopped at the Front Porch Cafe, where we ordered the Cheddar Bacon hamburger with yellow corn, coleslaw, and fried green tomatoes.

Dollywood
Welcome Pumpkins

Scarry Pumpkins
We saw pumpkins eating, reading, playing music (on rubboards and wash pans), painting, butterfly catching,
waking their dog, quilting, pumpkins made into a guitar, a large spide pumpkin with web, and so much more.

We saw this steel Eagle statue standing tall as it watched the Wild Eagle Coaster soar through the air. 

Near the Eagle Ride, we saw the Eagle Sculpture built by A Canadian sculptor, Kevin Stone, owner of Metal Animation Studio in Chilliwack,  British Columbia, at $250,000 US dollars.

Great Pumpkin Luminights Roaming Character was Patches the Scarrow
Harvey the Pumpkin, PUMPKIN Master, Pumpkin Polly,  Jack-O-Juggler, and Pumpkin Penny.

Throughout the park, we saw the roaming Characters of Applejack, Frances, Clive Abernathy, & Miss Lillian.

In Wildwood Grove, we saw Flutter, Flit, Ned, and Benjamin the Bear. 

We also saw The Wildwood Tree with a collection of butterflies dancing colorfully in the breeze.

When the sun went down, the music brought the pumpkins to life with dancing, & singing.

There were small pumpkins, large pumpkins, scary pumpkins, funny pumpkins, and pumpkins everywhere.

Dancing Pumpkins

We stayed at the park from 12 p.m. to close, we were worn out from all the walking. We walked to the trolley stop, waited in line to ride the trolley, and then we rode to the hotel.

We had purchased a two-day pass, so we needed some rest for another day at Dollywood. 

For breakfast at the hotel, I ate sausage, & a cranberry bagel with cream cheese and cranberry juice. 

We stopped at The Christmas Place it was packed, and there were long lines at the checkout.

We did visit the bakery shop, where we purchased a chocolate pretzel, a box of saltwater taffy, and some fudge. 

We stopped at the Lodge outlet, where we bought a seven-stick corn stick pan.

We ate lunch at Long John Silvers, and we both ordered Shrimp meals. 

Harvest at The Christmas Store 

Day two at Dollywood, but at a slower pace. 

At 3:30 PM, we watched the Hysongs at Show Street Palace Theater.

At 5:30 PM, we watched the Erwins at DP's Celebrity Theater

At 6:30 PM, we watched Live @ the Back Porch at the Back Porch Theater (there was a young man from Muscle Shoals performing  there)

At 7 PM, we watched the Cords Men at the Valley Theater.

When the last show ended, we walked through the Luminiights. 

We had a great three days, and I had never seen so many pumpkins in one place. I loved the Harvest Festival throughout Sevierville, & Pigeon Forge.

Now for the long ride home.

I saw this beautiful pink Rose of Sharon when we stopped at the Nick Jack Rest Area in Chattanooga on our way home.

🎃🎃🎃2014 ~ Oct 25, Saturday, Pumpkinfest Franklin, Tennessee

Saturday, October 25, Franklin, Tennessee was having a Pumpkinfest, 

Hubby and I decided to go.

We had never been to a Pumpkinfest and we did not know what to expect.

I put on my long, burgundy, dressed trimmed in black lace, with long puffed sleeves, and my black pointed hat.

I wanted to look like a wizard and I was prepared to play the part.

When we arrive in Franklin, I did not see anyone dressed as a character so I decided to change.

I climbed in the back of our VUE and changed into 

pink Capri jeans and a short-sleeved pink top.

It was heating up fast outside, and I would have gotten hot wearing my Wizard outfit.  

I think I would have made a very good wizard.

The first we saw was a stage when we entered the roped-off area where the festival was going on. 

There was a stage sat up where young and old alike were performing clogging.

There were people sitting and standing watching the clogging. 

We stood and watch until some chairs became available. 

I was spellbound by their performances.

The clogging finished near lunchtime, so we started looking for a place to eat.

We stood in a long line just to get an all-meat hot dog, it was worth the wait!

The wiener was first boiled, then put on a very hot grill,  and served on a hotdog bun.

The was a table full of condiments for the hotdog.  

I put sauerkraut and mustard on my hotdog.

We saw a bench in front of one of the stores and that is where we sat to eat our hotdogs. 

We enjoyed watching the crowds of people walking through the festival as we sat, eating our hotdogs.

It took a truck pulling this large pumpkin (sitting on bails of Hay) to get it into the festival in Franklin Square.

 There were people stopping in front of the pumpkin, to have their picture taken. 

There was a weight-guessing contest for the pumpkin.

The winner would receive a $50 gift certificate to Stroud's Barbecue.

The Scarecrow and Me (he looked like he was from OZ's).

Not sure, who was hugging who!!!

Hubby also took a picture of Pokey Pig and me.

Keep calm and eat chili was the sign behind us.

There were many vendors with pots of homemade chili.

It was a chili cook-off contest, to see who could make the best chili.

After eating the hot dog, we passed on the chili eating contest. 

I think it was ten dollars for a two-ounce cup of chili and you could sample from all fourteen vendors.

Even the pumpkin and skeleton were wearing smiles.

Do you think it was from all that chili or maybe the cold beer they were serving just behind us?

Beetle Juice 

We stopped by to see Beetle Juice, before and after he lost his head.

Beetle Juice should have known swapping numbers was the same as stealing!

Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice, and Beetle Juice - never say Beetle Juice three times or he may come out to haunt you!!!!

Third Avenue South was the kid section.

There were long lines of children waiting to ride the ponies, & the train.

There were several different inflatables for the kids to enjoy.

. 

There was bull riding, bungee jumping, and a spider Web Mountain for the youthful. These were paid attractions.

There was a pumpkin carving contest and it was hard to choose the best pumpkin

The carving was done by Leiper's Fork carving club.

Clown with his hand on my head

A special appearance of the very scary clown not sure what he is doing atop my head.

Looks like he is using his horn to blow out my brains!!!! LOL

We had lots of fun and we will return to Pumpkinfest next year if the Lord is willing!